Huanglong Tour

Tour Details

Day1 Chengdu-Jiuzhai Valley

Transport

Take a 40 minute flight to Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport from Chengdu, and then an airport shuttle bus to Jiuzhai Valley, which will take about 1.5 hours.

Day2 Jiuzhai Valley Tourism Zone

Located in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Jiuzhai Valley, 450km from Chengdu, is a large tributary at the origin of Jialing River of Yangtze River system with the length of over 50km and at 2,000-4,300m altitude, and is known for 9 Tibetan villages, e.g., Panxin, Pengbu and Guwa.

Recommended Attractions: Colorful Lake, Reed Lake, Rhinoceros Lake

Colorful Lake

Located at the end of the upstream of Kongque River in Rize Valley and honored as the “Incomparable Scenery in Jiuzhai Valley” and “Jiuzhai Essence”, Colorful Lake is the most splendid scenic area in Jiuzhai Valley, and enjoys calcium carbonate-containing pool water, presenting a colorful paradise with aquatic community containing different chlorophylls.

Reed Lake

Located behind Bonsai Shoal, it is the first lake of Jiuzhai Valley with overall length of 2.2km and is a blue semi-swamp lake covered with reeds, which is aquamarine in spring and summer and golden yellow in autumn and winter.

Rhinoceros Lake

Rhinoceros Lake the largest lake in Shuzheng Valley has the length of about 2km, depth of 18m and elevation of 2,400m, and is one of the most changeful lakes in Jiuzhai Valley. There is a trestle bridge at the south end connecting to the opposite bank. The lake is shaded by colorful leaves, presenting a dreamlike world in the morning.

Tips

Must-sees here are Jiuzang Valley, Tiger Valley, and the enchanting waterfalls.

Whilst autumn is the best season for sightseeing, there is quite a marked diurnal temperature range during the rainy season, so it is advisable to take wind- and rain-proof gear as well as thermal clothing.

The Jiuzhai zone is very large, so it would be wise to set off early, and with an achievable schedule. Accommodation facilities are nearby the attraction, and reception services are onsite just inside the entrance.

Local specialties such as beef, crystals, and Chinese medicinal ingredients can be bought along the way during the tour.

Day3 Jiuzhai Valley-Huanglong

Huanglong Scenic Area in Huanglong Township, Songpan County consists of Huanglong Valley, Danyun Gorge and Xuebao Peak, and is characterized by huge adarce with the length of 3.6km and width of 30-170m. Over 3,400 adarce pools are distributed on the adarce body, forming a 2.5km adarce stream. There are a variety of adarce waterfalls and karst caves.

Recommended Attractions: Yingbin Pool, Huanglong Cave, Bonsai Pool

Yingbin Pool

This exquisite and clear pool group, i.e., Yingbin Pool, will first come into sight when you visit Huanglong Scenic Area. With non-uniform dimension, unique shape and bright color, the pools are well-proportioned and surrounded by mountains and shaded by trees. The tortuous stone path and sightseeing pavilion contrast finely with each other.

Huanglong Cave

There is an oval stone cave 10m from the left side of Huanglong Back Temple, which is called Huanglong Cave for Huanglong Immortal and Foye Cave for three Buddhist statues made in the Ming Dynasty. The entrance of Huanglong Cave is frozen in October and molten in May the next year, and a layer of white adarce is formed on three Buddhist statues at the entrance poured by the spring containing calcium carbonate.

Bonsai Pool

It consists of near 100 interconnected pools, and the pool embankment varies with tree root and terrain, and is interconnected and stacked; the pool water is crystal clear, just like a mirror, and the bottom is yellow, white and grey; the pool is planted with calocedrus macrolepis and shaded by green leaves. The pool bonsai are made of adarce of different shapes and completely planted with flowers and plants, presenting unique bonsai admired deeply by horticulturists.